Kansas Department of Labor to move to former Ryan International Airlines building

30 Sep Kansas Department of Labor to move to former Ryan International Airlines building

Posted at 00:00h in press-release by Hexcode Designs 0 Comments

Kansas Department of Labor to move to former Ryan International Airlines building

By: Carrie Rengers

Published By: The Wichita Eagle

WICHITA — The Kansas Department of Labor, which is temporarily located at the Finney State Office Building, has signed a lease at the former Ryan International Airlines building at 266 N. Main St.

“They looked at several buildings,” says Chuck Knapp, Department of Administration spokesman. “Labor decided that that building best met their needs.”

The 10-year lease, which has two renewal options of five years each, is for 9,113 square feet.

Level 3 Communications and Hubris Communications are already at the building. Level 3 is downsizing its space, and that’s what the Department of Labor is taking.

Knapp says the department had been in another downtown building but was having some issues, so it made a quick move to the Finney building.

Craig Simon of Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal for the Main Street lease, which begins Nov. 1.

Simon also recently handled the sale of that building when Tom Schmeidler of SBA Construction, his brothers and another investor purchased the property out of foreclosure.

More news is coming about the building soon.

There’s also news coming about another departure from the Finney building.

In June, Have You Heard? reported that nine state agencies, including more than 700 employees, will leave the city-owned building at 230 E. William when the state’s lease expires on Sept. 30, 2014.

The largest tenant, the state Department for Children and Families, has said its space at the Finney building is inadequate.

“The city was very good at getting architects in and trying to meet the needs of DCF,” Knapp says.

He says DCF is still planning to vacate the building next year, though.

One of the other state agencies in the Finney building is close to signing a lease elsewhere. Look for that news and more on the Main Street building in the coming weeks.